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Tile with Cintamani Design

ca. 1560–70
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 460
The çintamani pattern – a cluster of three roundels paired with wavy stripes – is one of the leitmotifs of Ottoman art. Derived from the Sanskrit word for "auspicious jewel," the motif originated in Buddhist art. At the Ottoman court the motif came to evoke strength and power and is seen in many media, including architectural decoration, textile design, and ceramics. On this rare tile, the çintamani is the dominant and sole motif. It probably once belonged to a çintamani border surrounding a larger wall composition, such as at the Rüstem Pasha Mosque (1561) in Eminonu or the Apartment of the Sacred Mantle and the Library of Ahmed III at the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Tile with Cintamani Design
  • Date: ca. 1560–70
  • Geography: Made in Turkey, Iznik
  • Medium: Stonepaste; polychrome painted under transparent glaze
  • Dimensions: H. 4 11/16 in. (11.9 cm)
    W. 9 11/16 in. (24.6 cm)
  • Classification: Ceramics-Tiles
  • Credit Line: Turkish Centennial Fund, 2019
  • Object Number: 2019.173
  • Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

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Tile Panel, Stonepaste; polychrome painted under transparent glaze
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Tile Panel, Stonepaste; polychrome painted under transparent glaze.
Tile Panel
second half 16th century
Tile Panel, Stonepaste; polychrome painted under a transparent glaze
Tile Panel
second half 16th century
Border Tiles with 'Saz' Leaf Design, Stonepaste; polychrome painted under transparent glaze
Border Tiles with 'Saz' Leaf Design
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